Automatic laundry-valve.



W. H. PERKINS & G. A. LINDGREN.

AUTOMATIC LAUNDRY VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1914.

Patented July 14, 19%

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W/T/VES ES 5???? A TORIVEYS W. H. PERKINS'& O. A. LINDGREN.

AUTOMATIC LAUNDRY VALVE.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 26, 1914.

1,103,828. Patented July 14,1914.

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W. H. PERKINS & G. A. LINDGREN. AUTOMATIC LAUNDRY VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1914.

1,103,828. Patented July 14, 1914.

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WILLIAM H. PERKINS AND CARL A. LINDGREN, OF HATHORNE, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC LAUNDRY-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Application filed January 2.6, 1914. Serial No. 814,389.

anism of peculiar construction, whereby the flow of water into thewashing machine may be controlled automatically in accordance with thedepthof water therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a peculiar means fordetermining the temperature of the water to be delivered into themachine.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter bemore fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forminga part of this specification in which like characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which I Figure 1is a side elevation of a valve casing made in accordance with apreferred form of the invention; Fig. 2 is a horizon talsection of thesame substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transversesection on the line 3+3 of Fig. 2, but indicating the movable valvesremoved; Fig. 1 is a view of the movable valve casing; Fig. 5 isatransverse section of the same on the line 55; Fig. 6 is a view on theline 66 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is an end elevation of a washing machineshowing our improvement attached thereto.

The several parts of the device maybe made of any suitable materials,and the relative sizes and proportions, as well as the general design ofthe mechanism, may be varied to a considerable extent without departingfrom the spirit of the invention hereinafter more fully set forth andspecifically claimed.

At 10 we show a machine of any suitable character into which wateris tobe delivered through a pipe 11 and from which the water may be drawnthrough an outlet pipe 12. 13 indicates a valve casing adapted toreceive cold water through a pipe 14 and hot water through a pipe 15,said casing having means within it to control the supply of water withrespect to its being hot or cold, and deliver the same into and throughthe inlet pipe 11.

' The valve casing 13, shown best in Fig. 2, is of peculiar constructionand includes a statlonary cylindrical shell 16 having two circularseries of inlet ports 17 surrounding the same. Said series are spacedfrom each other on opposite sides of the plane coinciding with the axesof the hot and cold water pipes 1-1 and 15. each of these pipes admittedinto the cas- The water from ing is received upon the outer cylindricalsurface of the shell 16 and is conveyed along the outer surface of theshell within an annular chamber 18 in communication with the set ofports 17 pertaining thereto; that is to say, the water from the pipe 15flows through the shell 16 in one of the series of p01'ts17, and thecold water flows through its shell. 18 to and through the other seriesof ports 17 into the interior of the shell 16.

At 19 we show a movable or slidable valve adapted to be reciprocatedwithin the shell 16 by any suitable means and from any desired location.Said movable valve 19 is provided with two sets of ports 20 and 21adapted to register respectively with the hot and cold inlet ports 17 ofthe shell 16 when the valve 19 is open. Figs. 2 and 4;

show'the valve 19 in closed position and with the cylindrical surface ofthe valve closing theports 17. The valve has a rim 22 which, in closedposition, abuts against the righthand end of the shell '16. As a'suit'able'means formanipulating the valve 19, automatically, we connectto it a neck or shank 23 carrying a piston 24: operating within thecylinder 25 at the left hand end of the main valve casing 13. Thecylinder 25 is provided with ports 25 and 25 lead ing to the oppositeends thereof from a pilot valve chamber 26 in communication through aport 27 with the cold water chamber 18. 28 indicates a pilot valveslidable in said chamber 26 and adapted to control said ports 25 and25". In the neutral position of the pilot valve, as shown in Fig. 2,both of said ports are closed.

At 29 we show a float disposed in a chamber 30 in communication with thewater space of the washing machine, the position I of the float beingdetermined by-the amount of water in the machine. 'A link 3l'isconnectedby means of an adjustable head 32 to a yoke 33, the adjustment beingeffected by meansof a thumb nut 34. Said 'yokeis secured to a shaft 35journaled in a bushing 36 at the'front side of the .wall of the'cylinder25, and the inner end of said shaft is bent upwardly at 35 and formedwith a yoke 37 engagingthe middle portion of said valve 28. The yoke 33in which the link '31 is adjustably connected extends laterally from thevertical plane of the'shaft 35, and when said link is connected to theright hand end of the yoke, as shown in Fig. 7 the fall of Water levelwithin the machine 10 will cause a corresponding drop of the float 29and a movement of the yoke 33 and shaft 35 in a clockwise directionwhereby the yoke 37 will move the pilot valve 28 toward the rightuncovering the port Water entering the chamber 26 from the cold watersupply and passing through a port 28 of said pilot valve will enter thecylinder 25 and force the piston 24 and the valve 19 toward the right,bringing theports 20 and 21 into registry with the inlet ports 1'? andopening a series of outlet ports 38 into communication with the chamber39 within the outermost shell of the main valve casing which is incommunication with the pipe 11 leading to the washing machine. It willthus appear that the desired level of water in the machine may beautomatically maintained by means of the float connection with the pilotvalve 28. When the float 29 is lifted by the full supply of water withinthe machine, the valve 28 is returned to the position shown in Fig. 7,at which time water pressure enters the cylinder 25 through the port 25forcing the piston toward the left and shutting. o the water vby closingthe ports 38. Upon setting thepilot valve 28 to its neutral position, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2, the valve 19 will remain closed.

Any suitable meansmay be used to cooperate with the movable valve 19 todetermine the kind or character of water or the relative quantities ofhotjand coldwater to be delivered to and mixed within the valve casing.As a convenient and practical means for accomplishing this purpose, weprovide a hollow cylindrical cut-off 39 fitted slidably within the shellof the valve 19 and operating between one series of inlet ports 20 and jthe "other 21. The cylindrical cutoff 39 I may entirely close either ofsaid sets of ports the open ports are made effective in an or may beadjusted so as to lie at any point between them, either leaving bothsets open or leaving one openland the other partially closed, it beingunderstood, ofcourse, that case only when they are in registry with theit a stem 40 through a spider 41 at the inner end,,and sald stem isconnected to a hand Patent lever 42 adjustable along a segment 43whereby the position of the cut-off is determined according to thetemperature of the water desired. When adjusted to mid position, asshown in Fig. 7 both hot and vcold water will be received when the valve19 is open and delivered to the machine. Ifcold water only is desired,said cut-olf 39" will. be adjusted toward the right so as to close theports 20 and 17 in communication with the hot water supply pipe 15.- If1 hot water only is desired, the lever 42 will be adjusted toward theleft, whereby the ports21 and 17 closed. As shown in dotted lines inFig. 4, the cut-oif'is located so as to onlypartially close the coldwater supply ports, and hence it will be understood that by providing aThe cut-off and its pertaining to the cold water supply will bejustments orautomatic operation hereinbefore described. I

At 44 weshow a drain pipe leading from the cylinder of the pilot valveand controlled by a pet cook 45. .Among the objects of this drain is toprovide for relieving the valve mechanism of'water, which, when themachine is cold, m1ght freeze therein; and also to allow any leakage topass freely from the valve into the main dischargepipe.

Having thus described our invention, we clalm as new and. deslre tosecure byLetters 1. in afdeviceof the character set forth, thecombination of a main casing having means to supply thereto differentcharacters of fluid,- a cylindrical shell within the casing, said shellhaving two series of cir'cum ferentially' arranged inlet portscommunicating with the several supply means, said sup- ;ply meansincluding circumferential, chamfbers extending around and inv communicaition with the respective ports, a cylindrical lvalve slidable withintheshell and having two sets of ports adapted to register with theaforesaid ports, a cut-off slidablewithinthe valve and adapted to closeeither-series of ports aforesaid, and meansto reciprocate said'valveindependently of the operation of the cut-01f.

2. The herein described valve mechanism comprising a casing, a fixedshell" within the casing,.said shell being provided'with spaced seriesof ports, a valve movable within the shell and having ports adapted toregister means todeliver I differentcharacters of fluid to'said shelland y ;into communication, with theseveral series *of ports, ahand-controlled slidable cut-off 7 ports 17. The cut-off39 has connectedto with the aforesaid ports,

,Ineans cooperating with said shell to deliver including circumferentialchambers extend ing around and in communication with the respectiveports, a cylindrical valve slidable within the shell and having two setsof ports adapted to register with the aforesaid ports, and means toreciprocate said valve so as to either open or close all of said ports.

4. The herein described valve mechanism including a main casing havingmeans to supply thereto different characters of fluids,

a cylindrical shell within the casing, said.

shell having two series of circumferentially arranged inlet portscommunicating with the several supply means, said supply means includingcircumferential chambers extending around and in communication with therespective ports,- a cylindrical valve slidable within the shell andhaving two sets of ports adapted to register with the aforesaid ports, ahand-controlled cut-off slidable within the valve and adapted to closeeither of said registering series of ports, and automatic means toreciprocate the valve independently of the movement of the cut-0E,substantially as set forth.

5. The herein described valve mechanism for washing machines comprisinga main casing having supply means for hot and cold water and an outletfor mixed hot and cold with inlet ports to deliver the hot and water,each of said supply means including an annular chamber, a stationarycylindrical shell within said annular chambers, said shell having aseries of ports communicating with each of said annular chambers andarranged throughout the extent of the annular chamber pertaining theretowhereby the Water is delivered within the shell, a valve movable withrespect to the shell on the inside thereof, and means controlled by theamount of water delivered for automatically moving said valve,substantially as set forth. 6. The herein described valve mechanism forwashing machines comprising a main casing having inlet ports for hot andcold water and an outlet port, a fixed cylindrical shell within thecasing and spaced from the outer wall thereof, said shell being providigco water separately into the shell, and a hollow cylindrical valveslidable within the shell, said valve having inlet ports adapted toregister with having outlet ports adjacent one end, said valve servingin one position to exclude the water and in another position to deliverthe water received from the inlet ports through said outlet ports to andthrough the space between the outer casing wall and said shell. Intestimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. PERKINS. CARL A. LINDGREN.

Witnesses:

HARLAN L. PAINE, Gno. M. KLINE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

the shell inlet ports and also

